Seeking Redemption
by FlikFreak
Summary: AU; Spoilers; Violence. After reflecting on recent events, Sora’s heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?
1. Contemplation

WHAT? IT'S NOT A CROSSOVER?

…no, it isn't. XD This is actually a more normal kingdom hearts story. I was thinking of novelizing KH2, but this'll do for now. Also note that this fanfic doesn't _entirely_ follow game's mechanics.

Summary: After reflecting on the ordeal with the heartless and Organization XIII, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Can he conquer his most powerful nemesis of all, or is the Realm of Light doomed?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter One: Contemplation**

* * *

Sora stared at the ground with his eyes narrowed to slits. Not in anger, not in hate, not in disgust, not in frustration, but in contemplation. Hollow Bastion was much safer now that he and the others had defeated an absurdly large number of heartless, and many of the worlds were far safer now that the heartless and nobody population had decreased, but that would have never happened if Ansem had never experimented with the darkness in people's hearts. Now that Sora thought about it, many things were prompted by small actions, even this whole journey he had been sent on.

When Kairi had appeared on the islands, Riku had grown curious about "other worlds." Being the naïve children they were, they made to build a raft to sail and see other places. Of course, now Sora knew that the most distance that would get them would be the middle of the sea. They talked about it for a long time, and even gathered provisions to head out, and when the time finally came to go, they left…but not in the way they probably should have. That day echoed clearly in his mind.

He had learned the meaning of the phrase "Be careful what you wish for."

* * *

"_Riku!"_

_But the boy did not answer. He simply held out his hand as the darkness writhed across his body, binding him to the spot. Without thinking, Sora ran forward, only to find himself trapped as well. Concern for Riku quickly outweighed panic, and he reached forward, even as the darkness threatened to envelope him. Riku stood still, not making any effort to help him forth. Within moments, the darkness overwhelmed Sora, weaving its way into his nostrils and mouth, replacing what should have been oxygen in his lungs. It bound his nerves, slowly paralyzing him. Unable to move or breathe properly, Sora staggered backward as he began to suffocate._

_Then it happened. Within him came a warm, comforting feeling that at the same time was terrifyingly powerful. It spread from his heart down his limbs to his fingertips, the tips of his ears and even his eyes. The darkness seemed to cry out in fear and shrink away as a light burst from all around him._

_Sora found his way onto his feet again and gasped for breath, now able to breathe and feel. As he looked about, he found the island still in the midst of destruction. The darkness beneath had vanished, along with Riku. In Sora's hands, in place of his wooden toy, was a large, metal sword, the hilt wrapping around his hands and the end spiked off in what strongly reminded him of…_

A key…? _He thought. _Or is it a sword?

_Whatever it was, he knew that power was coming from this weapon…whatever it was. For a moment, he stood entirely in awe of it, like time had stood still just so he could marvel at whatever had just occurred. But then he looked up and saw those creatures appearing again, this time more of them than before. Panicking, he tore past them into a small cave near the waterfall of the island, in hopes of finding shelter. Maybe whatever was past that door would be a great place to hide._

_But once he got there, he found that it was even _more_ dangerous than outside. Kairi stood at the end waiting for him, calling out to him in a monotone voice that did not belong to someone so cheerful as her. The door behind her flew open and a dark mist blew out like a hurricane wind. Kairi flew toward Sora, whom attempted to catch her…when nothing happened. The wind picked up and he was hurled outside the secret place, onto a small spit of land that was all that remained of his home…_

* * *

That day had been the start of Sora's adventures across numerous worlds in search of his friends, but even when he did find them, he had to keep fighting. If he didn't, people would get hurt, killed, or worse.

Then there was Organization XIII.

Yen Sid had informed him (using Donald's dinner as a module, to the duck's dismay) that Nobodies were beings without hearts, and thus could not feel emotions. They simply pretended to have hearts to make up for it. Organization XIII was a group of powerful Nobodies that were seeking to regain their hearts and become whole once more. At least, that's what he had heard from one of them. Whether they did or not, however, Sora wasn't too keen on their methods.

Sora knew he had to keep fighting as long as the keyblade was with him, but that would mean helping the Organization. The boy wasn't too keen on the idea of being used, and had always had little patience for people that manipulated him; then again, Riku had always admonished him for being quick to anger when he was confused. Even so, he found himself surprised by several members' dispositions. For one, Axel had not only warned him about what the Organization was after, but he also admitted to kidnapping Kairi and began to apologize for it before Saïx arrived and drove him off. The thought of someone in the Organization being a traitor was interesting to him.

Demyx especially came to mind. While the Nobody had been somewhat of an oddball in nature to Sora (he apparently didn't mind reading cue cards or complaining about fighting in front of him, so the keyblade master didn't take him very seriously), he was utterly shocked when the Sitar-wielding individual completely changed face before him, calling him a traitor and taking on a dangerously angry tone of voice. Sora barely had time to regain composure before he was hit with an onslaught of water jets, and by the time the fight was over he barely had it in him to take on the waves of heartless that awaited.

But there were still members he despised, no matter whether they were nobodies or normal. The one that had appeared after Axel fled did nothing but mock him, and the one he ran into on his first visit to Hollow Bastion after waking up made him seethe in anger for some reason that he couldn't ascertain. Xaldin had attempted to get Beast to submit to the darkness in his heart so that he would become a heartless for Sora to slay, and a Nobody for the Organization to recruit and control. He had vague memories about a female that taunted him, but every time he tried to dig them up they went away, and he thought nothing more of it.

In spite of all of that, one thing remained the same: they were all using him to do their dirty work.

As the sun set on Radiant Garden, Sora made his way for the canyon where the masses of heartless had gathered that day. He had been comforted numerous times by his friends, reminding him they were there if they needed him, but the very idea of being used made him feel worthless. With every swing of the keyblade, he only found more pain, and the Organization drew closer to their goal. He'd never stop them at this rate.

As the doubt rose in his heart, he found the world around him beginning to blur, and he only focused forward. Before long, he found himself passing the place where he had fought Demyx, past the small pathway and into the Crystal Fissure. The fissure was beautiful and peaceful, even though he had clear memories of passing through in a hurry when the heartless had threatened to take over. Sighing, he sat down and laid flat on the ground, staring upward past the various shards of glittering gemstones and to the sky past the canyon walls. The way the sun caught on some of the shards higher up reminded him of the little blue bead that had fallen off of the trophy Seifer had given him. It was quite beautiful, and it always calmed him when he was worried.

But somehow, the doubt would not leave.

A familiar warmth curled in Sora's heart, and he sat up to notice that the keyblade had summoned itself in his hand. Sora narrowed his eyes and stared at it. "This is all your fault," he muttered. "If it weren't for you…"

No response came. Sora knew the weapon was sentient, but he never expected a real response. Sighing, he stood up and held it in both hands. "What do you want me to do? If I keep destroying heartless, that's only helping them."

The warmth came again, attempting to reassure him. It did little, and Sora shook his head. "People have been hurt because of me. I don't want that happening anymore. Everyone's counting on me, but I can't let them down…what am I supposed to do?"

Then he remembered Hercules. The man was a hero, no question, but when he had lost confidence, he simply couldn't fight like he used to. Sora knew how that was. Then, when Hercules rescued Megara, he had regained his strength, and they quite literally defeated Hades at his own game. But who did Sora have to protect? They were all either safe at home or out of his reach. How could he help _anyone_?

Sighing, Sora stood and attempted to dismiss the keyblade, but it didn't leave this time. He stared at his hand, noting its presence, and placed it against the wall and backed away. It went back to his hand in a flash of light and burst of ethereal wind. Angered, Sora glared at the weapon and threw it as far away as he could, into the depths where the heartless had gathered before. But, once again, it came back to him. He glared at it, and would have crossed his arms had he not been holding it. "What's your deal?" he asked. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Once again, he felt the warmth, this time stronger, and he sighed, exiting the fissure into the Great Maw. It was strange to be there again; the last time he had come here was when the entire canyon was literally buried in the enemy heartless. Sora kept walking through, knowing that in the cliff beyond he could catch a view of the old castle that he once went through to save Kairi and seal the keyhole.

Before he could reach it, however, a familiar whirring caught his ears and he spun around to see several knight-type heartless waiting for him. Sora winced for the first time since he saw a heartless in his dreams two years ago. He knew what fighting them meant for him and the Organization. _What choice do I have?_ He thought. _I have to fight…or people will be hurt…_

As the beasts ran for him, Sora backed away a few feet, searching within him for power. The clothes he had received from the fairies in Yen Sid's tower had told him about the power they held, but they warned him about using it too much. Nonetheless, he pulled it out, feeling himself jerk back as the magic took effect, and the light shone from all around him.

But something went wrong.

Sora's mind was racing. His vision went black, that disgusting taste seeping into his mouth and choking him. He screamed in fear, only for it to emerge as a feral howl. Then, one by one, he began to lose control of his senses until something else took over his mind.

_Kill…Kill!_

He couldn't disagree. He lunged forward at the heartless, tearing them apart within a matter of moments with claws and fangs, his mind entirely feral. Was this what he had been warned about? But how…how could this happen?

With the heartless vanquished, Sora found himself racing back to where he came from. _Light…destroy…kill…destroy the light…_

Sora tore past the heartless that appeared around him, ripping them to shreds and hurling them aside as he neared the town. When he did, he sniffed the air. He hadn't had a sense of smell this good since he was last in his lion form in the Pride Lands. But he didn't smell _things_…he smelled light and darkness. An irresistible urge to vanquish that painful light rose and he raced into town, killing all heartless in his path. Once near Merlin's, he found Leon standing outside. He spun when he heard Sora approaching and his eyes widened in shock. Sora didn't care. He had to kill that light…that painful, despicable light…

Leon shouted something that he couldn't discern and shot a fireball at Sora. It slammed him square in the chest and sent him flying backward, crashing into a wall. He shook it off and ran forward again, this time to be parried by the man's blade. He shouted at him, but Sora could only hiss back.

_Light…destroy…_

_No, Sora! Don't!_

_Destroy!_

_Sora, get a hold of yourself!_

"Get off, heartless!"

At that moment, the writing darkness seemed to stop for a moment, and Sora hesitated. He knew that voice. Screaming in frustration, the force holding him captive in his own mind ebbed and fled, causing Sora to collapse to the ground. Somewhere, deep in his heart, he felt the darkness still plaguing him, but it was pushed away by the familiar light of the keyblade as it appeared. Sora gasped for breath, barely noticing as he heard footsteps racing for him and voices calling out. The last thing he saw before he passed out was a familiar face ridden with concern.

* * *

Well, short-ish first chapter. Meh, it's the start of an idea.


	2. Seeking Answers

Okay, this chapter might be a bit confusing, but it's a way of answering questions without putting in an author's note…plus it was more fun to write out.

Summary: After reflecting on the ordeal with the heartless and Organization XIII, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Can he conquer his most powerful nemesis of all, or is the Realm of Light doomed?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU. Lemme clear this up a bit: you know the part of Kingdom Hearts II when you're right in front of that big gigantic door, and going in starts the string of like 15 billion stages of final boss? That's what I mean. So, Sora knows about Roxas, but Roxas hasn't "shown himself" yet like he does…later. You know what I mean.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Seeking Answers  
**

* * *

The room wasn't large. It resembled a small island in the middle of an ocean, with the sun in the sky glittering off the water's surface. It was much like one place on Destiny Islands, the one place where Sora went to often. The bent-over paopu tree, and the various coconut trees…he sparred with Riku there many times. The seagulls flew overhead, crying out cheerfully as the wind guided them.

Of course, this island in particular wasn't real. Not this version, anyway.

A blue-clothed young man strongly resembling Sora sat on the bent-over tree, fingers weaved together and his chin rested on them in thought. He sat there alone for a while before he looked up, noticing another arrival, this one clothed in red, striding toward him from the dock. He nodded and sat up. "You're finally here?"

"Sorry it took so long, your royal smartness," the boy remarked sarcastically. "Took me a while to get out of that mess I got stuck in just a moment ago. Isn't that what we're talking about right now, anyway?"

"Yes," the blue-clothed Sora replied. "Where is…ah, there you are."

Leaping from the water onto the islet was yet another Sora, this one clothed in yellow. He chuckled as he arrived and rubbed the back of his head. "Am I late?"

Blue Sora shook his head. "No. You both are."

The red-clothed Sora threw his hands up in frustration. "Oh, for the love of Kingdom Hearts, Wisdom! Just because we're not fifteen minutes early like _you_ always are doesn't mean we're _late_."

"Calm down Valor," Yellow Sora replied. "This isn't the time to argue."

Valor rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just start already. Not like this is official or anything."

Wisdom finally lifted his head. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the one that was in that mess earlier? You should be more concerned."

Yellow Sora crossed his arms. "Would you two knock it off? You're always going at it. Can't we get along just this once? We've got a crisis, here, in case you haven't noticed."

"We noticed, _Master_," Valor replied mockingly.

"I said knock it off," Master grumbled. "Just get on with it."

"Right," Wisdom began. "Just earlier, Sora had attempted to draw on _Valor's_ power-"

"Wisdom, if you start an argument again I swear I'll-"

"Well, it's not like _you're_ ever-"

Interrupting the conversation, another version of Sora fell from a nearby coconut tree, catching their attention. The entirely-black version of the boy grunted as he hit the ground, squinting his glowing yellow eyes and rubbing his head sheepishly. Upon noticing the presence of the others, he sat quietly and obediently, and the three returned to their conversation.

"Let _me_ explain this," Valor interrupted. "_I_ was the one that was nearly screwed over, you know, I think a firsthand account would be the most accurate."

Master nodded. "Go on, Valor, but _no arguments_. I don't think I can handle another headache today."

Valor sighed and continued. "Sora was going to draw on my power when something went wrong with him. I dunno, instead of my power, he ended up drawing on Anti over there." To prove his point, he gestured to the little black Sora that was currently climbing the coconut tree again and trying to pull one of the fruits off. "I dunno why he did, but when he _did_ do it he went out of control, and I got cut off. Was kinda violent." Valor shuddered visibly.

"Cut off, huh…" Master said aloud. "Well, Wisdom, what do you make of it?"

The blue-clad Sora crossed his arms and stared at the sky for a moment. "We all represent a side of Sora's heart awakened. When he calls on us, that portion of his heart is what is called upon for power. There are, of course, some aspects of his heart that haven't awoken, but what's important is the now. He has been in doubt and denial for the past few days, and with each passing day it only grows stronger." He paused as Anti fell out of the coconut tree, proceeding to claw at the fruit's tough skin in order to break it open. He wasn't having an easy time. "When he began to call on Valor, his doubt got in his way, and the darkness in his heart took over. Normally it isn't this severe…I believe it _has_ happened before…but this time he went out of control."

"So when he called on Valor, Anti came up instead because of his doubt?" Master asked.

Wisdom nodded. "That's just a guess. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with darkness, as it and light are only two sides of the same coin, it has never gone to this degree before. Anti, do you have an explanation for this?"

Anti glanced up from his coconut, which he had not yet managed to open, and purred, shrugging his shoulders. He looked back down sadly, going back to digging at the coconut, but this time much more slowly, like a child that had been denied happiness. Master sighed. "Anti doesn't know much about it either. But Sora _did_ call on him, and the darkness went out of control. He attacked Leon, but thankfully he was snapped out of it before he did any real damage."

"I'm going to have to go with Wisdom on this one," Valor said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. "Maybe his doubt got in the way somehow, and drove the darkness out of control. Sora isn't the kind of person to act like that; I don't think it's Anti's fault at all."

"But if his doubt is in the way, it will only cause the situation to become more and more severe," Wisdom replied. "We will have to put restrictions on things until we can find a way to solve this."

Master nodded. "Got it. Anti, I know you're eager to go out on the playing field and all, but you need to stay here. At least until we can fix up Sora, okay?"

In response, Anti looked up and cocked his head. Then, as the words sunk in, he sulked and nodded.

Smiling, Master patted the child-like form on the head. "Thanks. Don't worry, we shouldn't take too long."

"I wouldn't count on trusting that guy," Valor commented. "He acts like a little kid and he's not evil, sure, but we all know he's got the attention span of a goldfish."

"You're just miffed because you were the one cut off by him," Wisdom pointed out. "There's no sense in holding a grudge."

Valor sneered and balled up a fist. "Oh, I'll show _you_ a grudge, you-"

"Cut it out!" Master cried. "I know you two don't get along, but you don't have to brawl. That's only going to make matters worse. Wait until the fate of the keyblade master and the rest of the universe _isn't_ at stake, _then_ you can fight all you want."

Sighing, Valor walked off down the docks. "Whatever; I'm going to go practice on a few trees or something."

Once Valor was out of earshot, Master groaned and leaned against the tree, where Wisdom had once again rested his chin on his hands. "Ever temperamental, that one," he grumbled.

"But he is brave," Master pointed out.

"And hasty," Wisdom sighed, "But yes, he is brave, I'll give him that. Much like you are friendly and sympathetic."

Master chuckled, feeling a grin climb up his face. "And what side of his heart are you? The intelligent side? Last time I checked, Sora was pretty gullible."

Wisdom looked away. "I'm not sure. He doesn't call on me too terribly often. I must admit, however, in watching him I have noticed that he does have his thoughtful moments. When he does call on me, he tends to think more before he approaches, rather than when he calls on that _fool_ and charges blindly into a conflict."

"Is that why you hate him so much?" Master asked. "I mean, he's the only one you ever get mad at. I know Anti and I tend to annoy you in our own way, but you never show it. Do you hold something against Valor or…?"

"Maybe," Wisdom replied. "I just wish that Valor wasn't so reckless. One of these days he's going to get Sora seriously injured…aside from today that is."

Anti crawled up to the tree and tugged at Master's sleeve. When the yellow-clad Sora looked down, he noticed Anti holding up the coconut from earlier, its shell scratched by his claws but not yet broken. "You need some help?" he asked. The black Sora nodded eagerly.

Wisdom hopped off the tree he had favored as his sitting spot. "Allow me."

* * *

"Sora? Sora, you awake?"

Sora cracked his eyelids open. "Wha…where…?"

His vision gradually cleared, and he found himself lying in a bed in Merlin's house. Hovering over him was none other than Aerith, her face ridden with worry. As Sora sat up, she made way for him and propped up the pillow behind him. "Are you alright? Leon said something went wrong earlier and headed into the canyon."

"I dunno," Sora replied. "I was fighting heartless and I tried to use drive when…well…everything went dark. It's all a blur."

Aerith turned away sadly and headed for the sink. "I see," she said quietly. "Leon said that he saw a heartless where you were standing. He told Merlin about it, but Merlin only said that Yen Sid would know."

_A heartless…_ Sora mused, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. He knew that he had gone berserk when the darkness took him over, and he had even attacked Leon. But why? He only remembered bits and pieces, and could barely get a hand on why it had happened. He had been thrown into that dark form before, but he had never lost control and attacked anyone he knew. What made it happen? Why did he lose control?

"What's on your mind, Sora?"

Sora sighed. "Maybe I should head over and see him. Yen Sid, I mean… Will you guys be okay without me?"

"We'll be fine," Aerith replied, smiling. "Be careful, Sora."

With a nod, Sora stood and exited the house, heading through the glowing circle in the corner of the room that acted as a portal to the gummi hangar. Inside, he found the large, monotone room occupied not only by the _Excalibur_, but also by two other gummi ships and a very familiar blonde-haired engineer. "Hey, Cid."

Cid tossed a greasy towel in a nearby bucket and pushed himself out from under another small ship, revealing a face covered partially in soot and an oil-stained shirt. "Oh, hey Sora. Ganna take her out somewhere today?"

Sora sighed. "Yeah, headed off to Twilight Town, but…would you mind driving this time?"

There was a pause as Cid looked the keybearer over a few times. "Not feeling well or something?"

"Definitely," Sora replied. "I mean, I can drive and all, but…I got in an…incident with Leon earlier…not feeling up for driving on my own in case something bad happens."

Cid sighed and stuffed a wrench into his tool belt. "Sorry, Sora. Can't help ya there. I've got to fix up the Highwind and the Shera while I'm at it."

"Thanks anyway," Sora said, climbing up the hangar and entering the Gummi Ship. "Can you clear me for takeoff? I'm going to warp over."

"Gotcha," Cid replied. "Beginning system check."

As various screens blipped on, Sora sat back against his seat and closed his eyes. He thought long and hard about what had happened: He had attempted to use drive for Valor Form to get rid of the heartless quickly, but before he had a chance to react, the darkness had appeared and choked him again, taking over his body and forcing him to attack any that came near.

_What if it happens again?_ He fretted. _If that darkness takes me over again, and I hurt someone…I'm no hero, I'm not worthy to be the keyblade master…not if that happens._

Once more, the keyblade appeared in Sora's hand. He stared at it for a moment; he hadn't summoned it himself. There had been several times that it appeared on its own without him calling for it, but it never ceased to surprise him when it did. When he had approached the Organization's fortress, it had been able to create a path for him to walk on. Sometimes the keyblade even acted on its own; it had nearly dragged him forward when it sealed the keyhole in Wonderland (much to his surprise). What was it trying to tell him?

"_You ready to get going, Sora?"_

The keyblade master was snapped out of his thoughts by Cid's voice over the intercom. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The ship jerked suddenly and was pushed into the air toward the special launching chamber up top. The engines began to start up as the doors opened. _"I've got the warp mechanism ready for you, Sora. Where ya goin'?"_

"Yen Sid's tower," Sora replied. "Think you can drop me off outside?"

"_That, I can do. Take care in there, Sora…that guy wasn't the king's teacher for nothin'."_

The communications flipped off and Sora braced himself for the rush forward as the gummi ship took off at top speed. _I hate to come with short notice,_ he thought, _But I sure hope you can get me some answers, Yen Sid…_


	3. Strangers

Expect two familiar Final Fantasy characters to appear in this chapter. Or you may not know them. It depends. O.o This chapter makes me pretty nervous, putting it out, but...yeah. Here it is. Enjoy.

Summary: After reflecting on the ordeal with the heartless and Organization XIII, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Can he conquer his most powerful nemesis of all, or is the Realm of Light doomed?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Strangers**

* * *

The _Excalibur_ slowed to a stop just above the entrance to Yen Sid's tower, just as Cid had programmed. Sighing, Sora took a look at the sky outside. It was beautiful, dotted with stars and stuck in and endless state of twilight. Ever since Sora had first come there, he had found it a strange and wonderful sight, but couldn't imagine how it had been like that. _Probably Yen Sid's doing,_ he came up with eventually. _He's the king's teacher after all._

Sora clutched the keyblade tightly in his hand and glanced warily around. Behind him was a familiar violet train, resting on a set of floating tracks. On the other side were several bushes and a tall tower, where Yen Sid was probably waiting. Sora knew, however, that he wasn't alone on the ground floor.

A prickle went up Sora's spine just as he saw several familiar shadow-like heartless appear. Sora backed away. _Just great,_ he grumbled. _If I'm going to meet Yen Sid, I'll have to either run or break through these guys…but that'll mean…_

A shadow lunged at Sora, whom threw it off with his arm. "Get lost!" he shouted, swinging the keyblade at another and racing for the door. The shadows gave pursuit.

As Sora ran up the steps, the shadows leapt after him, but when he pushed, the door didn't budge. _Urgh…locked! And I can't force it open with all these heartless around…_

The heartless quickly neared, and Sora quickly found that he had no choice: he'd have to take them out. As he prepared to attack, he readied drive for activation. _If I'm going to get in, I might as well make the way clear!_

His decision, however, proved to be a mistake when the darkness from before began to overwhelm him once again. Sora cried out for help, but the last thing he saw was the glowing, yellow eyes of the heartless staring at him.

* * *

"Quick! Help me hold him down!"

Valor gritted his teeth as he helped pin one of Anti's arms to the ground, but the dark creature was flailing about madly. Master was trying to get his other arm under control while Wisdom held the feet captive via several spell-based bindings. Above, the sky began to darken and clouds swirled around.

"This is insane!" Master cried. "What's wrong with him?! He's never done this before!"

"Sora attempted to activate another drive," Wisdom explained, somehow managing to keep his normal tone of voice while keeping the bindings in place. "This time, he called on me, but the darkness took over again!"

"Now you know how I felt," Valor grumbled. "Is he ever going to learn?"

"Less talking, more restraining!"

Anti continued to struggle, screaming in fear as the clouds only grew stronger. Valor gritted his teeth. "Couldn't we call for backup or something?!"

"If any of us lets go, then he'll go on a rampage!" Master cried. "We just have to hold off until Sora can come to his senses!"

"Easier said than done," Wisdom commented. "I can only hold these bindings for so long. You two are lucky you have more physical strength than me."

Master gritted his teeth. "Anti! Get a hold of yourself! Hurry!"

But Anti only screamed in fear and struggled, eyes squeezed tightly shut. The other three tightened their grip, fueled only by fear. Master in particular looked up only barely as sweat rolled down his brow. _Why? Why isn't he coming?_

* * *

The doors burst open and Sora kicked them shut behind him. Panting, he looked upon the staircase and shot up it, running on all fours. Along the way, several nobodies appeared. Most of them were dusks and berserkers. All of them, however, were enemies, and Sora spared none of them from his claws. He went up, farther and farther, demolishing any enemy in his path.

_Destroy…kill…_

He tore up the stairs, smashing through the various rooms on the way. There was no one to be found thus far. But oh, did he hunger for something to kill…something to demolish…

_No! Sora, get a hold of yourself!_

_Kill! Kill! Destroy!_

The thoughts conflicted, but Sora felt himself being dragged upward again. Up the stairs farther and farther until he found one last room to burst into. Yes, Yen Sid's chamber. This is where he first met him. He burst through the doors and sniffed the air. There was no trace of the wizard to be found.

_Where…? Must kill…must…destroy…light…_

To the left! A sudden burst of light. Someone had come. Sora lunged out at whoever had been standing there and tackled him. There was a cry of shock as Sora was kicked off. "Are you out of your mind?!" the blurry stranger shouted, drawing what appeared to be some sort of short metal object and pointing it toward Sora. The deranged keybearer ignored this and prepared to strike, pinning the stranger to the wall and lifting his claws for another assault when something in him jerked him to his senses. He flinched and released the stranger, falling to the ground and gasping for breath. Gradually, the malevolent voice ebbed, and he was himself again.

"Wha…" Sora began in between breaths. "What happened…?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," came a strange voice that Sora didn't recognize, with an even stranger accent. "You don't look to be in good shape. Best find you something to sit on."

* * *

The dark clouds lifted almost instantly. Master, Valor and Wisdom sat back, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "It seems as though Sora got pulled back to his senses," Wisdom observed.

"I'd hope so," Valor grumbled, rubbing his head. "I don't think I could deal with restraining this guy again."

Master nodded and was about to comment when Anti scrambled over to him and clung to his arm, burying his darkened face against Master's sleeve. Awkwardly, Master glanced at Anti and patted him on the back. "You know, guys…I think Anti's scared. Whatever this darkness is that's taking advantage of Sora isn't from him."

"But that makes no sense," Wisdom replied. "Anti represents the darkness in Sora's heart. How can it be that Sora went out of control when that darkness is clearly Anti's?"

Valor scoffed. "I don't trust Anti at all, but I have to agree…this can't be his doing. Something must be wrong with Sora's heart, we just have to find out what."

Nodding, Master stood, causing a very confused Anti to stumble a bit before looking up curiously. "I'm going to go visit someone. He might be able to help."

Wisdom cocked an eyebrow. "Are you referring to _him_?"

"Yep," Master replied. "With a bit of luck, I might convince him to actually help us for once. You know how he is."

"Oh, we do," Valor grumbled, leaning against a coconut tree. "He's _way_ too cheery for my taste, and you know who we all are. Why hasn't he helped us earlier, anyway?"

Master shrugged. "Beats me. He probably has his reasons."

"He was only awoken recently," Wisdom pointed out, taking his place on top of the bent-over paopu tree again. "If you ask me, we cannot expect him to take action right away."

Valor crossed his arms. "He's been awake for at least a week now. Hasn't he even noticed anything?"

"At any rate," Master interrupted, sensing an argument approaching, "I'm going to go talk to him. Whether he knows something or not, I need to talk to him about this. Anti, you come, too."

The little black version of Sora bounded next to Master and walked along in a crouched stance. Wisdom and Valor watched until they vanished through the door on one side of the island, at which the red-clad Sora rolled his eyes. "Does it ever cross his mind that when we tried talking to that guy, he didn't listen?"

"I doubt it," Wisdom replied, lacing his fingers. "Master also seems to have Sora's naïveté, so he probably didn't think about it like that. It also doesn't help that you tried to use force and failed."

"Don't remind me," Valor moaned. "I was sore for ages…"

Wisdom chuckled. "For someone so _easygoing_, he sure puts up a fight when you pick one with him. If you didn't have such a short temper, you probably wouldn't have gotten in that mess to begin with."

Valor glared at Wisdom like he always did, but looked away. "I just hope Master gets out of there okay. But why is he bringing along Anti…?"

* * *

Sora had met people with guns before (Clayton came to mind, but he had more of a rifle than anything), but this man was quite peculiar in that regard. In his hand was a rather large type of gun that he couldn't very well recognize, but his demeanor didn't quite match someone that used that sort of weapon. Currently, the stranger was sitting near the window and staring at the sky outside, so Sora felt safe to look him over without fear of staring. The man had short-cut blonde hair and somewhat narrow eyes. The attire he wore was what made Sora suspicious, however: aside from the white shirt he wore under the finely detailed leather vest, two crossing belts, dark leather pants and the strangest pair of boots he had ever seen, this man had an assortment of earrings on his left ear, as well as a few rings and bracelets on his left hand and wrist. _Who is this guy?_

The silence was finally broken when the man looked back over at him. "Are you here to see Yen Sid, young man?"

_Young man? That's a step up from 'kid' at least…_ Sora nodded. "Yeah. Is he here?"

"I'm afraid not," the strange man replied. "He left some time ago and hasn't come back since. To be honest, I was here to ask him about something myself, but he simply wasn't here. His assistants in the other room weren't present, either."

"Where do you think he is?" Sora asked.

The man shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea." He stood, making his way over to Sora. The keyblade master noted as he strode closer than his stance was highly intimidating in spite of his friendly nature and suave-sounding voice. "Now, would you mind telling me who you are? I believe we've gone long enough without proper introductions."

"Sora," Sora replied. "Nice to meet you, um…"

"It's Balthier," The man replied simply. "I have a friend of mine with me, right now she's…ah, there you are."

The door nearby opened, and out of it walked an even stranger character than what Sora had seen before. The woman was quite tall in comparison to her companion, though it could have been due to the large rabbit-like ears atop her head. Strapped on her back, still visible even under her long, flowing white hair, was a large bow, and her attire consisted of a rather revealing yet very elegant set of black armor, including a small helmet, high-heeled boots and gauntlets. Her nose was also a peculiar shape, reminding him much of a hare's, but Sora found himself highly intimidated by her nails. _Those things have got to be at least an inch long…_

"No Viera where you come from, Sora?" Balthier asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Sora winced and turned back to Balthier. "N-No…actually, I've been to several places…but I've never seen one."

Balthier seemed to smirk. "Then this is a first for you. Sora, this is Fran. Try to get along."

Before Sora managed to come up with anything to say, Fran gave him a long, calculating look not unlike the one he received from Rafiki. After what felt like an eternity, she looked up. "This boy is the keyblade master, Balthier."

_Wow. She doesn't mince words, does she?_

"Interesting," Balthier commented, standing. If he was surprised, he hid it well. "We've heard a few tales here and there of some keybearer running about. To tell you the truth, I hardly expected it to be the one that tried to kill me."

Sora stared intently at the ground.

Fran placed one hand on her hip. "It is not like the keyblade master to fall to darkness like this. I'm sure he meant not to harm anyone under normal circumstances."

At those words, Sora looked up with hope. "You mean you know what's going on?"

"I could sense that you were troubled when I entered this room," Fran replied simply. "And you came to see Yen Sid to help solve this, did you not?"

_She knows,_ Sora thought. He searched for a way to word his response, but came up with nothing. As though cued by his distress, the keyblade's light rose within him, and the weapon appeared in his hand. Sora cast a glance to it, puzzled.

Balthier quirked an eyebrow at the display. "Well, fancy that. It comes when you call, is that it?"

"I'm not really sure," Sora replied. "It's always with me, and I can call on it when I need to, but sometimes it'll show up on its own. It's been doing that a lot lately…I think it's trying to tell me something, I just don't know what."

"I'm afraid we can't help you there," Balthier said casually. "But would you like to explain why you attacked me earlier? It doesn't exactly make a nice first impression."

Sora stared at the ground, resting the keyblade in his lap as he could already tell it wouldn't allow itself to be dismissed. "When I was at the front steps of the tower, I was attacked by some heartless. I tried to…change form to fight them, but when I did something went wrong and I got taken over by the darkness. I don't know how it happened, but when it did I lost control of myself. I'm still not sure how I managed to snap out of it. All I do know is that if I keep it up, it'll only get worse…"

Fran narrowed her eyes. "You said you were taken over by darkness," she repeated. "It is not well for a keyblade master to allow such to happen."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Sora muttered, echoing the words Leon hand told him some time ago before speaking up more loudly, though judging by the look on Fran's face, she probably heard him.

"If you wish to end that suffering," Fran said simply, "You must do it on your own."

"Why the sudden interest, Fran?" Balthier asked, standing and adjusting the strap over his shoulder. "I can understand that he is the key bearer, but you barely know him."

Fran crossed her arms. "The keyblade is a weapon capable of powerful destruction and great salvation alike. Many Viera tell of what once happened when another key bearer fell to the darkness in his heart. It is not unlike what happened to Nabudis." With that, she walked off through the front door to the stairway.

"Did I say something?" Sora asked, eyes still wide in surprise at Fran's response.

To Sora's partial relief, Balthier shook his head. "Fran tends to be like that. I wouldn't let it bother you."

Sora waved his hands in his defense. "I'm not bothered…just confused, maybe."

"Well, don't take it personally," Balthier advised him, standing up and heading out the door himself. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I had best be going. Yen Sid obviously isn't around today, so Fran and I will have to stop by some other time."

The man didn't give so much as a farewell when he left, and Sora found himself sitting in an oddly quiet room. He stood and glanced out the window, noting the two now-familiar figures exiting from the bottom floor door. Paying this no mind, Sora headed for the room next door where the three fairies had been when he had received a much-needed new set of attire for his journey, as well as the cause of his current predicament.

The wardrobe wasn't a large room, but there was enough space to walk around. In the center of the room was a very small table that probably would have better passed as a bedside drawer, and a char was pushed in next to it. There were also varying windows in between the different stands scattered about, and two decently-sized armoires. What Sora paid most attention to, however, were the covered mirrors in the room. There were five of them, and they certainly perked his interest. He had seen them before when the fairies were present, and they had requested him to not stray too close. Approaching a smaller one on the floor next to a dresser, he reached for the cover and carefully lifted it.

There was a burst of thoughts and images in his mind. For a brief instant, he felt his strength surge, and a strong sensation of bravery washed over him. He stumbled back, leaving the mirror partially uncovered, and the feeling ended as soon as it came. _Whew. Talk about a surprise,_ he thought. Looking in the mirror – the part that he had managed to uncover – he saw a reflection of himself in Valor form. When he looked at himself, however, he noticed that he hadn't changed. _Probably enchanted by the fairies or Yen Sid,_ he concluded before doing a double take. _Wow…I look kind of good in red._

Standing and covering the mirror back up, Sora moved on to the mirror on the dresser, this time bracing himself for whatever thought would enter his mind. As he lifted the cover to this mirror, however, he found the rush of thoughts much different, this time much more calm, though part of his mind spiked to attention. He felt a power flowing within him, one that he had realized was magic when Donald had taught him his first spell (which had unfortunately resulted in something being set on fire every time he used it; it was a miracle that Merlin was so patient with him when he practiced in his attic). When it cleared, he found Wisdom form looking back at him. He placed the curtain back down and looked at the others. _Weird. These mirrors are sort of like actually going into drive, but I don't change. Why did they make these?_

Sora went to another mirror and braced himself again, this time sensing a mixed power of that which he felt with Valor and Wisdom as well as feeling his spirits being lifted somehow. Though it was not there, Sora could have sworn he felt a slight breeze blow past him. He made a guess to himself before examining the mirror, and sure enough, Master form stared back at him. He tilted his head at the mirror and covered it up, beginning to leave when he found two other mirrors in the room. _If what I'm guessing is right,_ Sora thought, _Then these mirrors were made to reflect my drive forms. But I only have three! Why are there two extras?_

After a quiet moment of contemplation, Sora shrugged and gave into his curiosity. "Only one way to find out, I guess." He approached the nearest mirror and reached for the cover hesitantly, part of him afraid to even open it and part of him eager to. The moment he touched it, however, he felt a strong shock travel from the mirror to his fingers, into his hands, down his arms and into his body, paralyzing him much in the way that Auron's soul statue had when he had gone to retrieve it from the underworld. The power was familiar to him, that much he knew, but to have it so great and overwhelming was completely new, and it knocked him backward before he could even uncover the mirror.

"Looks like that one isn't opening any time soon," Sora grumbled. He gave the curtain an offending glare before he glanced at the only remaining one, near to the door where he had entered. He approached it slowly and touched the curtain, cautious in case this one was like the last. To his relief, nothing happened. Sora took a deep breath and pulled the curtain up in one swift motion, readying himself for whatever was waiting in the mirror.

No matter how much he could have been prepared, Sora was astounded by what he saw. The taste of darkness filled his mouth and crawled under his skin and down his spine as he stared in horror at the twisted, darkened figure in the mirror in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words coming out. _Is that…really me?!_ he thought, eyes wide in terror. _But how? I can't be…I'm not a…_

Gazing back at him from the mirror was a black, heartless version of himself.

* * *

And there's chapter 3. Chapter 4 soon!


	4. Meetings

I wasn't sure whether or not to split this chapter where it's been split...but here you go. Ganna change the summary to something a bit more accurate...

Summary: After reflecting on recent events, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Meetings**

* * *

It took some convincing for Anti not to wander off, but eventually Master had the dark one staying obediently at his side. The one whom he was going to meet was currently on the other side of Sora's heart, and apparently preferred to remain there rather than actually associate with the others in times of need or loneliness. With a deep sigh, he headed across the various wooden planks (being careful to double-jump over the ones that broke) until he reached the other side, where he hopped down a small ledge. Waiting for him was a small alcove open on one end and filled with coconut trees on the other. "Anyone here?" Master called out.

Anti looked around for a few seconds before tugging on Master's sleeve and pointing to the open ocean. The yellow-clothed Sora followed his gaze to see a gray-white blur of a person soaring across the ocean, one hand skimming in the water and causing it to fan out on both sides. Master crossed his arms and chuckled. "Well, they were right about him being carefree," he said to Anti, whom sat down and watched as the figure flew toward them.

Once the individual in question was close enough, he hovered about five feet in the air in a lying-down position, hands behind his head and feet crossed as though he were in a beach lounge chair. He was yet another version of Sora, but clad in silver clothes which constantly pulsating with light. Two small orbs of light travelled around him in crisscrossing orbits, and he didn't seem to have any trouble remaining in the air. "Not every day I get a visitor," he commented. "And I don't think I've seen you two before."

"So you're Final?" Master asked. "The others told me about you."

"They did?" Final replied, quirking an eyebrow. "What'd they say?"

"Well, Wisdom really respects you," Master explained. "Valor thinks you're too cheerful, though."

Final laughed lightheartedly. "Valor acts before he thinks. Wisdom, on the other hand, thinks way too much. Both of them came asking me if I could help them with something not very long ago."

Master nodded. "That's what I'm here for."

Upon hearing the statement, Final's face turned serious, and he fell from his relaxed pose to one just hovering over the ground. "Let's hear it, then."

"You'll help me?" Master asked, blinking in surprise.

Final shook his head. "You never know until you ask. What's the problem?"

Master glanced down at Anti, whom had taken to watching one of the orbs circling Final with great interest. "Anti's been having some trouble lately," Master began. "It's not his fault, but…whenever Sora tries to call on any of us, the darkness in his heart gets out of control, and we're all blocked out. Last time it happened, Anti went into a fit and started thrashing. It took all three of us to hold him down."

"I see," Final said, looking away. "Do you know what's letting the darkness take over?"

There was a pause before a response came. "No idea," Master replied. "I was actually hoping that you could-"

"Forget it."

Master could hardly believe what he was hearing. He narrowed his eyes angrily and balled his fists. "What'd you say?!"

"I said forget it," Final replied, turning around. "I can't help you."

"Why not?" Master demanded. "We need you!"

Final wasn't changing his mind. He crossed his arms and shook his head stiffly. "No."

Anti sulked and whimpered, but Master gritted his teeth and whipped out two keyblades: the Star Seeker hovering over his left hand and the Hero's Crest gripped in his right. With a frustrated cry, he ran forward and prepared to strike, but Final whipped around and held one hand out, causing a familiar keyblade – the Oblivion – to parry Master's blow and send him stumbling backward. The Oathkeeper also appeared next to it as they rested behind Final's floating form, crossing each other and slowly rotating. "What do you think we're going to accomplish by fighting? I know you're worried, but there's _nothing_ I can do."

Anti growled and stood his ground, but didn't move forward. Master, whom had been knocked back but not to the ground, sneered in anger. "Then what do _you_ suggest? You're never around when we need you or when we discuss anything! You're the one Sora needs most right now; why aren't you doing anything?"

"And how would you know whether or not I've been acting on it?" Final replied. "You want me to help Sora get the darkness in his heart under control, right? Well, I _can't_. That's not my problem."

"Not your problem?" Master echoed, his voice trembling in anger. "How can you say that? Sora needs us! If we don't do something soon, he'll-"

Their conversation was interrupted when Final held up his hand, silencing them. He looked around in suspicion, then looked downward at the water beneath as he dismissed his keyblades, Master doing the same. "Wait," Final said simply, waving a hand at the pool of water nearby.

Master and Anti took a closer look and saw that the water was actually a sort of window to what Sora was doing in the outside world. Currently he was in the wardrobe of Yen Sid's tower, examining mirrors. Master's jaw dropped. "You've had this all along and you never told anyone?!" he exclaimed quietly. "This is amazing!" Anti purred in agreement.

"It's easier to pull off at the pool near the old cave," Final admitted, floating above it and laying on his belly, chin propped up on his hands and feet kicking in the air – an odd pose to have while hovering. "But this spot is good, too. On the real islands, this is where Sora and his friends kept the raft that they built, so I've always liked it. No one else really comes here, anyway, so I can get some peace and quiet when I take a look."

As they watched, Sora began to uncover one of the mirrors and look into it. The moment he did, Master felt a strange, familiar feeling wash over him. It was much like the wind rushing past his face like when he had leapt into the air like he always did (Master was quite fond of heights), but there was no pulling sensation like when Sora called on him. "What was that?" he wondered out loud. Anti only shook his head, and Final ignored him.

Moments later, Master got his answer. Sora had peeked into the mirror and seen himself wearing his Master form. He gave it a strange look before putting the mirror down, and the wind that Master felt ebbed. Final glanced at him momentarily and grinned. "Those mirrors all have connections to Sora's different forms," he explained. "That's us. It taps into our power so he gets a taste of what it's like by looking in one of them without having to actually call on us. Thing is, since it taps into our power, we can still feel it."

Master smiled. He almost wanted Sora to uncover his mirror again; feeling the breeze flow past his face and hearing it whistle in his ears was something he really enjoyed. Sometimes he wondered if it made sense – after all, Final was the only one of them that could fly for long periods of time – but Master had always loved jumping up to high places.

They continued to watch. Sora was reaching for another mirror, but just as he was about to lay his fingers on it, Final snapped to attention. "Oh, no you don't," he grumbled, and Sora stumbled backward after a shockwave traveled from the mirror down his arm. Final sighed. "Sorry, pal. Not today."

"Was that your mirror?" Master asked.

Final nodded. "Yeah."

Master quirked an eyebrow. "Why didn't you let him see you then?"

No answer came. Final continued watching. Grumbling inwardly, Master returned his attention to the display and saw Sora wandering toward another mirror. "What's in that mirror?" Master asked.

Once again, Final did not answer, but Master did notice him looking very closely. Sora approached the curtain carefully lifted it. The moment he did, he stumbled backward at whatever he saw, and the connection shut off suddenly as Anti began to wail in fear.

Master rushed over to the little black Sora in attempt to calm him. "Anti? Anti, what's wrong?"

_Kill…_

"That voice again," Final growled. "Hold Anti down, hurry!"

There were no arguments with that. As the sky darkened, Master pinned Anti to the sand, gritting his teeth. He could use what magic he had to bind the dark one, but his magic wasn't nearly as powerful as Wisdom's, and he wasn't sure if Final even had any. "Easier said than done!" he cried as he attempted to keep Anti calm. It wasn't working.

A wind began to kick up, and it was a wonder that Final remained in place. Narrowing his eyes, he raced for the two and once more summoned his keyblades, spreading his arms outward and causing the weapons to follow, erecting a barrier akin to a reflect spell. "That's the third time in a row," he grumbled.

Even with the barrier up, however, Anti continued to struggle and cry out fearfully. Master felt sweat beading on his forehead and running down his face. "Can't we do anything to stop this?" he shouted; the barrier kept the winds from interfering, but it didn't block the sound of the wind howling about.

"Just a little longer!" Final replied, to Master's surprise. What was he holding out for? If this kept up, then Sora would be done for!

* * *

Sora didn't know which was worse: the fact that there was a heartless version of himself hidden in drive or the fact that the fairies already knew about it and never told him. He _had_ known that his drive forms were somehow linked to the different sides of his heart – he had heard one of the fairies muttering about it before they had given him his new clothes – but for there to be a form linked to the darkness in him was nothing short of frightening. As Sora stood and raced for the mirror, hoping to cover the image of his darkened self, he felt a burst of darkness in the back of his mind, gradually inching forward and attempting to wrest control.

_Kill…_

"Scrub off," Sora grumbled as he grabbed for the curtain. The darkness was beginning to attempt control again, but this time Sora wouldn't have it. When his hands finally reached the curtain, he grabbed it and began to pull it down, which was a difficult task when someone else was trying to wrest control of his arms. His ears were beginning to swarm with a sound that Sora knew from the many times he had fought heartless: the wailing that they had emitted when defeated, the screams of the ones that fell.

_Yesss…doubt…fear…let it control you…release…_

In defiance, Sora continued his struggle and pulled the curtain down further, but found that he was losing control of his arms. He no longer had enough strength to keep his motions going downward. "Let go!" he cried.

_Fear…doubt…anger…_

The voice only grew louder. Sora screamed in frustration, wrenching one hand away from the curtain to clutch his skull in pain. His vision began to blur and fade, the noises ground louder, his skin prickling with an ice-cold sensation. He began to choke, his limbs stopped responding…

_Enough!_

…and it all stopped.

Sora looked up, noticing that somehow, his hands had moved downward entirely, covering the mirror with its curtain. Or at least, one of his hands had. The other rested at his side, with the keyblade summoned in it. He looked at the weapon curiously. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, young man," said an old and wise voice behind him.

Sora winced and turned around, noting that none other than Yen Sid was standing behind him, and he didn't look entirely too pleased. The keybearer rubbed his head sheepishly. "Er…I was waiting for you, sir…"

Yen Sid nodded. "I am aware of that, Sora." He looked past the boy at the mirrors, giving each a calculating look. "Ever like him, you are…well, come along, Sora. If you have a question for me, I will answer it to the best of my ability."

The keyblade master nodded, following Yen Sid obediently back into the Sorcerer's Loft. He cast one final glance at the mirrors, specifically the one that did not open. Deciding to ponder its mysteries later, he turned and left the room and its mysteries behind.

* * *

Anti did not cease his flailing about, and as the moments passed by, Master was having a harder time keeping him still. Final squeezed his eyes shut, and the two luminescent orbs orbiting him flew faster and faster. After a moment, they no longer seemed like orbs, but flashing ribbons of light surrounding the silver-clothed boy. After what seemed an eternity, his eyes snapped open, and the barrier condensed into a sphere in front of him, which he shoved with his hand into the sky. Final made a tearing motion with his hands, and the orb in the sky burst wide, expelling the darkness. "That should do it," he muttered. "You alright, Master? Anti?"

Master blinked in shock, but shook out of his daze when Final spoke to him. "I'm fine," he replied, and glanced back at Anti, whom was still shivering, but unharmed otherwise. "Anti's a bit scared, but he'll pull through."

"Good," Final said, dismissing his keyblades. "Sora should have control over himself back for now. I'd rather not have to do that again. If Sora keeps this up, it won't be long before the darkness takes over him entirely."

"Then why don't you _do_ anything?!" Master demanded, standing and shaking an angry fist in the air. "I bet you could end this once and for all, so why don't you? From what I just saw you've got enough power to solve this mess on your own!"

"You call _that_ helping?" Final shot back, pointing to the sky. "That's not accomplishing a _single thing_, Master, no matter how great it looks like it can be. All it does is expel the darkness so Sora comes back to his senses, but it can and _will_ come back. That's not _helping_ Sora, it's only delaying the inevitable."

"You're wrong!" Master protested. "You're as much a part of Sora as me and the others! We have to help Sora somehow, but no matter what we try, nothing works, so I cam to you to get help and you refuse! I don't get it! Why are you letting him suffer? Why aren't you listening to us?"

"I told you," Final replied, crossing his arms and looking firmly away. "I. Can't. Help."

Master stood abruptly and clenched his fists. "Looks like I was wrong about you," He grumbled loudly, making sure Final heard him. "Come on, Anti. We'll figure this out _without_ Final's help."

Anti cast one longing look back at Final, whom had gone back to sitting in the air, and walked sadly after Master. Unknown to them, Final sent them a sad glance before he soared off.

* * *

Sora found himself having a serious case of déjà vu. Yen Sid once again was sitting at his desk, and Sora stood in front of it. The first time he had come here, he had been admonished by Donald for his lack of proper respect. This time around, however, he remembered the sore ear he had received from a certain magician and kept his courtesy in check. "You wanted to see me sir?" Sora began, nervous.

"_You_ are the one whom wanted to see _me_," Yen Sid corrected. "You are ever like his majesty when he was young."

"Ah, right…" Sora cleared his throat quietly. "Well, I've been having some problems recently, and Leon thought I should see you…he didn't tell me directly, but I overheard it and thought I'd ask. Plus, you're the king's teacher and all, so I thought…"

Yen Sid folded his hands in his lap. "Well? What is it that you wish to know, Sora?"

With a deep breath, Sora began. He told Yen Sid about his problems with drive and the darkness that had overtaken him, as well as his experiences with the mirror that had caused that darkness to rise again. All the while, the sorcerer listened carefully, nodding every so often. When Sora finished, Yen Sid glanced downward. "This is serious, indeed…"

"What do you think it is, sir?" Sora asked.

Yen Sid sat back in his chair. "The darkness in one's heart can only be prompted to take over if they give into it. While some seek power, others cower in fear or shrink behind self-doubt. Though it is not always intentional that such happens, it can and will take over a person's conscience if they do not overcome it."

"But how do I overcome it?" Sora questioned. "Every time I use drive it gets stronger, and earlier I only looked in that mirror and it tried to take me over again."

There was a brief moment of silence as Yen Sid seemed to contemplate the situation. Then, after a moment's thought, he turned to Sora again. "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do, Sora," he replied. "The most I can offer is some small advice."

"That would be wonderful, sir," Sora said, his hope not entirely lost.

"Only you can get back control the darkness in your own heart," Yen Sid said, "And to do that, you must face it on your own, as you did once before."

Sora paused. "I did? But when?"

Yen Sid shook his head. "That is all I can tell you, Sora."

"Right," Sora replied, bowing nervously. "I guess I should be going, then. The others are probably worried about me." He turned to leave, but paused. "Um…Mister Yen Sid?"

"Yes, Sora?"

"Earlier, there were two people here looking for you…their names were Balthier and Fran." Sora turned around fully. "Do you know them?"

Yen Sid gave a hint of a smile. "Ah, the sky pirates… If you meet them again, tell them try the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah, but just be cautious of traps and be polite when approaching the entrance."

_Wow. He already knew what they were going to ask._ "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, sir." With that, he closed the door behind him.

Sora made his way down the stairs and outside, where he found his gummi ship waiting for him closer to the ground this time. "I could really use some peace and quiet for once," Sora decided as he climbed in. _The Land of Dragons hasn't been bothered by heartless lately. Maybe I should head on over and visit Mulan._ With learned expertise, he punched in several coordinates and felt the ship take off. After auto-pilot initiated, he braced himself, and watched as the sky flew by him. Once the ship was set on a steady course, Sora took a deep breath and sat back in his seat, closing his eyes and falling asleep.


	5. Advice

…yeah.

I didn't know fully what the wardrobe in Yen Sid's tower looked like (It's sort of the thing where you recognize it if you see it, but you couldn't explain every last detail), so I flipped on my PS2 to get a look, and whadoya know. I had the info I needed. XD So, for a certain location in this chappie, I did the same.

Summary: AU; Spoilers; Violence. After reflecting on recent events, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Advice**

* * *

Valor shook his head in disappointment. "Why am I not surprised?" he said. "Final still won't help, no matter who asks him."

"I know," Master grumbled. "He was the one that helped Sora regain control just now, but he says it's only delaying the inevitable, and that it won't do a thing. What does he represent, anyway? Sora's stubbornness?"

"Final is tied with Roxas," Wisdom pointed out, ignoring Master's comment. "When he awoke, so did Final, but Roxas apparently let Final do as he pleased once he tested Sora."

"Where _did_ Roxas test Sora, anyway?" Valor asked. "Didn't he go to the station of awakening or something?"

Wisdom nodded. "Yes. Sora passed with flying colors, and Roxas decided that that power was worth giving to Sora. The problem is…Final doesn't _want_ to be called on. What did he tell you, Master?"

Master shrugged. "He said he couldn't help. Like he was incapable."

"I don't get it," Valor said. "Wasn't he the one that cleared up that darkness just earlier? How's that incapable?"

"He said he was only delaying the inevitable when he did that," Master replied. "But if we can't help him, who can?"

No one had an answer. Aside from the seagulls cawing overhead and the waves crashing against the shore, nothing was heard, and an unsure stillness settled over the group. It was only when Valor looked up that the silence was broken. "Um…guys? Where's Anti?"

Wisdom and Master snapped to attention and glanced around. Sure enough, the dark one was nowhere to be seen. Master felt a sense of dread wash over him. "Oh, no…"

* * *

_Xigbar stood on a ledge far above him. Sora had the keyblade at ready, prepared to strike at any given moment should the Nobody decide to attack. Donald and Goofy stood right next to him._

"_You've really put Organization XIII in a pickle," Xigbar said in his usual surfer-dude accent. "I guess that's why the keyblade chose you…but _man_, did it pick a dud this time. You don't look like you're half the hero the others were."_

What…? What does he mean, this time? And what's that about other keyblade masters? Does he mean the king, or…?

_The scene shifted to the Rising Falls, two years previously. Riku held the keyblade in his hands, grinning. "You were just the delivery boy," he taunted, tossing his friend a wooden sword. "Here, go play hero with this."_

_As the toy clattered on the ground in front of him, Sora fell to his knees, devastated. The keyblade had been with him for so long, and when it left him, it was as though a piece of him had been torn out. _Riku…why…

_And then he was falling again, through the darkness. His memories fading fast. A feral, angry voice hissed at him. _Kill…destroy the light…

_Sora began to struggle, only for various voices that he recognized – and even ones that didn't, but seemed familiar – to swarm his hearing._

"_You don't have what it takes…"_

"_You don't look like half the hero…"_

"_You don't stand a chance."_

"_Kneel, loser!"_

"_You think you can overpower me?"_

"_You're nothing."_

"_Your heart? What good will that weak thing do for you?"_

"_Kill…destroy the light…surrender to the darkness…"_

_Something wrapped tightly around his neck, its grip growing more and more narrow. Sora pulled at it, but to no avail. He was about to suffocate when a light glimmered in front of him. The binds lifted, and Sora found himself floating gently in the darkness._

"_Come on, Sora. You can't give up now."_

…Riku?

"_Riku? Nah. I'm not him."_

Then who are you? Please, tell me.

"_I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?"_

Are you…here to help me?

"_Maybe. Time for you to wake up, Sora. This isn't the kind of dream you should be having in times like this."_

_The light grew brighter, embracing his exhausted body and warming him from the cold darkness. He felt himself floating upward through the abyss, with only a few more words to hear from an even more mysterious, but strongly familiar voice._

"_Is this place an actual world? Or perhaps it is a vision or dream? Only one person knows the truth…"_

* * *

Sora stirred from his slumber and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Glancing at the clock, he noted that he had been asleep for roughly three hours, and looked outside the window to see the welcome sight of the Land of Dragons waiting for him. With a weak smile, he initiated the passenger warp and headed into the back chamber of the ship, teleporting down to the world's surface.

The first sight Sora met was the grove near the currently defunct soldier's camp. A great place to land, and though it was far away from the city and mountaintop village, it was peaceful. The keybearer glanced through the bamboo stalks nearby, noting that the ruined village had been rebuilt, and was bustling with activity. _At least things are peaceful here._

He made his way out of the bamboo grove and through the abandoned encampment, heading up the mountain path beyond. The walk was long, but abnormally silent; last time Sora went down the path he had to plow through heartless. It would take some getting used to.

The mountaintop village was in fine shape as well, and the townspeople went about their business. Some gave Sora a wary eye, but he ignored them, glancing around for any sign of a familiar person. A few of the soldiers that recognized him waved, and Sora returned the gesture. One soldier in particular recognized him more than the rest. "Sora! It's great to see you!"

Sora smiled weakly. "Hi, Mulan. How is everything?"

"We're doing great," Mulan replied, smiling. "There haven't been any heartless since we got rid of the Storm Rider. No Nobodies, either. The village has been rebuilt, too!"

"That's great," Sora said, hoping to sound cheerful. "How's Mushu?"

"He's back at home," Mulan said. "At least, I think he is. I see him show up at the oddest times, so he probably just goes where he pleases."

Sora chuckled. "That wouldn't surprise me."

Mulan smiled, but the expression disappeared when she saw his worried expression. "What's wrong, Sora?" she asked. "You look exhausted."

_She can tell, _Sora observed. "I've been having a lot of problems lately," he said, hoping to be vague enough to keep the matter personal but clear enough to relay its severity, "And I'm worn out. Since this place isn't bothered by heartless anymore, I thought I'd come for some peace and quiet."

"The Village Cave is a nice place to go for that," Mulan suggested. "Many people go there for similar reasons. If that doesn't work out for you, you can always try the view from the mountain ridge. I'll be in the village if you need me, alright?"

"Okay, thanks," Sora said, bowing politely before walking off, continuing past the village and to the cave beyond. The last time he had been in there was when Shan Yu tricked him and his friends into believing he was there, and Sora had been forced to fight several waves of heartless. Now, the place was peaceful.

Several small holes had been carved in the stone, with many holding candles. There were four larger shelves, two holding blue flames and two holding pairs of tablets. In the center of the cavern, however, was the most important part. On a small, raised bit of stone, was a small display consisting of a small dragon statue and two candles set around an incense burner. The smoke coming from it slowly rose into the air, giving off a calming scent. _That incense is fresh,_ he noted. _Someone must have been in here earlier._

One thing Sora had liked about the cave – other than the fact that people rarely came in – was that he had always felt calm. Whether it was the silence, the incense, or just the peace of mind, something always worked. Taking a deep breath, he sat on his knees in front of the burner. Sora had always gone by the rule 'When in Rome, do as Romans do' when he visited any world, and though it was tough to adapt when he traveled so often, he eventually got the hang of it. He looked at the statue for a moment before closing his eyes and bowing deeply before he spoke. "If anyone can hear me," he began, "I have a favor to ask. I know I've done a lot of things…some things I think I shouldn't have done. I think…I've lost sight of what's right and what's wrong. I know what I have to do, but I'm not sure of the things I've already done."

He paused, not daring to move or open his eyes. Even if no one heard him, this was good enough. "I know there have been other keyblade masters aside from me, and I'm nowhere near as great as them. All I want is for my friends to be safe, but I'm not sure I'm up to the task anymore. I don't know if I'm good enough. The darkness keeps trying to take me over, and I'm barely able to get away from it. Is there some way I can get stronger, for my friends? And if there is, please, show me how…for their sake."

As Sora expected, there was no answer. The soothing scent of the incense still comforted him, but now the silence was overwhelming. He felt the keyblade summon itself in his hand, and he opened his eyes. He hadn't changed the keychain from Oathkeeper ever since he had pulled it out of his pocket, and as he looked on it, he remembered why he had received it. "What do you want to tell me?" he asked.

At first nothing happened. Then, for some reason, Sora felt the light that the keyblade held within him grow and comfort him. It was sending a message, Sora knew that much; but whatever the meaning it held, Sora couldn't discern.

Sighing, Sora stood, noting that the keyblade wouldn't dismiss itself, and exited the cave to the village. The normal hustle and bustle was continuing, and the keybearer noted with interest that he hadn't heard any of it in the cave for some reason. Turning, he made his way to the mountain ridge, leaving behind footprints in the snow that crunched underfoot.

* * *

Final sighed and made a brushing motion with his hand, causing the water to shift and return to its normal state. He had heard every last word of Sora's plea, but he knew that no matter how desperate Sora was for help or how much Final himself wanted to aid him, nothing could be done to stop the darkness from overtaking Sora. He would have to do it on his own.

A gentle breeze blew past Final's face, and the silver-clothed boy closed his eyes and embraced it. All three of the non-darkened representatives had come to him, asking for help. Valor had asked him once, then tried to beat him into submission. It hadn't gone well. Wisdom attempted to sway him with words, but Final refused every time. Master, on the other hand, had brought Anti with him – the one most affected by the problem – and took a different approach: he tried to convince Final that the others _needed_ him, and questioned his decision to sit back and do nothing.

The truth of the matter was that Final had been thinking much on the subject. It was true that Sora had to face the darkness plaguing him on his own, but the question as to how wasn't an easy one. The longer he thought, the more clear it became that the only chance he had was a risky one. If Sora was brought to the source of the darkness, then he could more easily confront it. The problem was that the said source was the doubt in his heart.

Final didn't blame him. Sora barely knew anything about what he had gotten into the moment the keyblade entered his heart. All he had known were the strange dreams he had been having, and next thing he knew, his home was gone, and his friends with it. From there, the boy had done a splendid job of going along with whatever was thrown at him (probably due to his optimism), but deep down Sora had still been confused, afraid, and lost. He had so much on his shoulders for someone his age; it was only a matter of time before doubt began to affect him.

Final sat up in the air as the sound of footsteps in the sand reached his ears. Looking up, he saw Anti approaching. "I thought you followed Master around everywhere," Final commented, "Or at least _someone_. What're you running around on your own for?"

Anti was, of course, incapable of speech, and hung his head. Final didn't need words, and placed a calm hand on the dark one's shoulder after floating down toward him. "I know, I know, you only want to help Sora, right? But you know I can't do anything to help him. Sora has to do it on his own."

The response was evidently something that Anti didn't like to hear, as he plopped down into the sand and sulked. Final crossed his arms. "I don't think you heard me right," he said. "I said there's nothing I can do to help him. That doesn't mean we can't give him a push in the right direction, so to speak."

The dark one looked up in surprise, glowing yellow eyes wide open. Final grinned and nodded. "Listen up, Anti. I've got a plan, but I'm going to need your help, okay?"

Anti nodded eagerly, and Final continued. "Now, listen very carefully. This is going to be tricky, but if we do it right, it'll work …"

* * *

You know the Village Cave in the Land of Dragons, near the mountaintop village? There's a little display there, and when you examine it, it says, "It looks like this was built as a symbol of peace." Go into first person view and look at it. Stunning attention to detail, Square-Enix. I am impressed.

I was originally planning for something big to happen this chapter...but it'll wait. For now.


	6. Peace Unfound

Okay, I have way too many active fics right now. Among my 3 crossovers (two of which are nearing their ends), my TWEWY novelization AND this, I have my plate full, especially with me looking for school…AND more fanfic ideas popping up. O.o Don't worry, I'll do my best to update regularly when possible.

I was planning on doing a specific research for part of this fic, but decided to leave it out. It's nothing major.

Summary: AU; Spoilers; Violence. After reflecting on recent events, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Peace Unfound**

* * *

Sora stared out over the ridge of the show-cloaked mountain, marveling at the view. From there, he could see the entire imperial city, where he had fought Shan Yu and the Storm Rider both with Mulan at his side. Those times had been chaotic for the entire city, not just their group, as when the great heartless decided to attack the group had met it directly upon leaving the castle gates. The peace that had reigned after the heartless were vanquished once and for all was one that the entire city had Sora to thank for, but of all the things he could have wanted, Sora was entirely satisfied with knowing that Riku was safe and sound…at least for the time being.

The keybearer let out a sigh and sat in the snow, resting his chin on his hands, which he in turn had propped on his knees. "Peaceful enough," he thought aloud, hearing his voice echo in the range. "So why can't I focus?"

For a brief moment, Sora felt a prickle of dread crawling up his spine. The voice of darkness hissed in his ears, and he shivered. "Go away," he grumbled.

"Whaaaat? And I came all the way here to see you, too!"

The response caused Sora to sit straight up. He knew that voice anywhere. Turning toward the path to the village, he grinned when he saw who was approaching. "Mushu! Hey!"

The miniscule red dragon crossed his grinned and scampered toward Sora. "Hey there! How's my favorite keyblade master doin', huh? Still wiping out them heartless?"

Sora chucked. "Not lately, no. I'm on break."

"Everyone could use a break every once in a while," Mushu said, making his way up to Sora's head where he had perched long before, during the time when the keyblade master had summoned him via the fireglow gemstone. "Mulan's been working her butt off helping at the village and helping Shang protect the emperor an' all, but she still comes home every now and then."

"She sure sounds busy," Sora commented.

Mushu laughed. "Yeah, she is. What about you? What brings you on break."

Sora sighed. "A lot of stuff, actually."

"Really, now?" Mushu said. "Well, let's hear it."

Knowing he could trust the little dragon, Sora began to tell him about his latest problems with the darkness in his heart and the voice that followed him, as well as Yen Sid's responses to his questions. Mushu, whom was normally hyperactive and full of spunk, patiently listened to Sora's dilemma, nodding as the boy spoke. When Sora was done, Mushu sat up. "Well, I'd have to agree with the old man, there. This ain't anything I can help ya with. It's up to you. Sorry, Sora."

Sora sighed and shook his head. "It's okay, Mushu. What bothers me is that I don't know where to start, and if I don't take care of it soon, it'll take care of me, and that'll be the end of _everything_."

Mushu hopped down from Sora's head onto his shoulder, then his knee, then the ground in front of him. "Well, runnin' away from the problem like you are now isn't going to help," he said. "If you're going to take care of that darkness or whatever it is, then you'll have to face it head-on or something."

"How do you suggest I do that?" Sora asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Iunno," the dragon replied. "I'd recommend you get some peace of mind before you do, though. Finding a place for the ultimate showdown is a different matter though. It might be right under your nose; ya never know."

Sora smiled at the little dragon and stood. "Thanks, Mushu. I think I know where to go, now."

Mushu blinked. "Go?" He echoed. "But you just got here! Shang'd probably be happy to see you or somethin'…"

"If I'm going to solve this," Sora replied, "I'm going to have to solve it quick."

"I guess," Mushu said, crossing his arms and smirking. "You hurry on back now, okay? Don't leave me hangin' here."

"I won't!" Sora assured him, jogging off.

* * *

"Why would Anti run off like that?" Master asked no one in particular. Though it wasn't possible for the little dark one to go far, considering where they were, it still worried him. Should the darkness strike again, Anti would have no one to help calm him, and Sora would have a much harder time getting control back. Master also doubted that Final would intervene again, judging by his reaction when the suggestion came up.

"Who cares?" Valor grumbled, kicking a coconut into the ocean. "He's the cause of all this mess."

Wisdom shot a glare at him. "Don't be so hasty to judge," he warned. "There is darkness in Sora's heart whether we want it to be or not. You may as well blame a fire for burning you when you touch it."

Valor sneered. "I still don't like it. What's Anti up to, anyway, Master? Isn't he always hanging out with you?"

Master shrugged. "Only because he's too afraid to go out on his own. Usually he just hangs out by coconut trees for a snack, or he just plays around if he's not following me everywhere. He's never caused trouble."

"Looking for him is not an option at the moment," Wisdom said. "We need to find a way to resolve the darkness in Sora's heart before it gets out of control."

At this, Master nearly agreed, but he turned away, remembering what Final had done. He had expelled the darkness and then proceeded to tell him that it was only holding off the darkness, not getting rid of it. If that was true, then maybe they really were helpless. Who was going to help Sora if they couldn't do a thing? Even Final, the most powerful of the five, knew that he was helpless, and hadn't hesitated to admit it. Had the rest of them only been stubborn, clinging to false hope? Or perhaps there was something Final hadn't told them?"

"Something bothering you, Master?"

For once, there was no hint of mockery in Valor's tone of voice when he mentioned Master's name. The yellow-clothed Sora looked up, snapping out of his thoughts, and shook his head. "I'm fine. Just worried for Sora."

Wisdom gave Master a suspicious look, but let it slide, much to his relief. For a moment, he wondered if his silence was the right choice, but eventually decided to keep his thoughts to himself. The only thing worse than _false_ hope was taking away what could possibly be _real_ hope.

* * *

Sora was always thankful that there was a resting point right next to the village that he was capable of using for a gummi ship portal. It wasn't much of a problem, either; the only two soldiers that ever patrolled just outside the actual village walls were two that he knew (one of which still gave Donald a wary eye whenever the duck visited; the mage's temper tantrum had given him a very sore back and a terrible first impression. Luckily for him, Donald was not accompanying Sora that day). He was about to step in when he caught sight of Mulan sitting with some children. Cocking his head curiously, he neared her.

"…_huge_ monster flew out of the snow and headed straight for the Imperial City!"

The children gasped in unison. "What happened next?" a little girl asked. Sora, noting that he had not been noticed yet, sat down and listened along.

Mulan grined. "Well, we ran into the castle and warned the emperor, then me and Sora scared the monster away for good, and the Emperor was safe!"

The story completed, the children cheered, a few of them clapping their hands, and Mulan smiled, sitting back in the snow before looking up and noting that she had another visitor. "Oh, Sora! I was just…"

Sora only shook his head and smiled. "Hey, Mulan."

The children that had been listening to the story turned to see the spiky-haired brunette behind them. Many of them gawked in disbelief. "Woooow," one little girl said. "Are you Mister Sora?"

Mister _Sora? That's a new one._ He smiled. "Yeah, that's me."

"Cool! Did you really protect the Emperor?"

"Was Shan Yu scary?"

"Do you like rice cakes?"

"How big was that monster?"

"Your clothes look _so_ weird…"

"Do your ancestors have hair like that, too?"

The onslaught of questions nearly overwhelmed Sora, and he could help but smile. For a brief moment, he forgot all about the doubt and darkness he was enduring as the young ones marveled in the presence of the hero that Mulan claimed him to be. One child in particular, a little girl, approached him with a strange question.

"Miss Mulan said that you had a magic sword help you fight off those mean monsters. Do you still have it?"

Sora smiled, shrugging inwardly. _I guess it wouldn't hurt._ He held his hand forward, closing his eyes as he called upon the light in his heart. He felt his hand tingle oddly for a moment as the energy spread in that direction, and there was a _sound_ of a flash of light. He knew the keyblade appeared, and he clasped the handle automatically. When he opened his eyes, the children were staring at it in absolute awe.

"It's so pretty!"

"It really _is_ magic!"

"Where does it come from?"

Chuckling at the questions, Sora leaned forward a bit, resting it in his lap, and spoke. "It comes from here," he said, putting a hand on his chest as a gesture toward his heart. He was sure that some of the children probably wouldn't understand what he meant, but they looked impressed all the same.

"That's enough story time for today," Mulan said, standing.

"Awww, but I wanna hear about how you beat the big scary monster!" One of the children complained.

Mulan chuckled. "I'll tell you that one later. You run along and play, now."

When the children finally dispersed, Sora dismissed the keyblade and tuned to Mulan. "You do that often?" he asked.

"Not actually," Mulan replied, "But recently this village has been going through hard times. Even after we finally rebuilt it, trade hasn't been going through very well, so sometimes I come up to offer some encouragement to the locals."

"And you tell stories to kids," Sora added for her, crossing his arms and smiling. "That's really nice of you to do that."

Mulan blushed and pushed aside a bit of hair. "Well, I do what I can. The war with Shan Yu was hard on everyone, but not all of the damage is repaired yet, if you get my meaning." She hesitated. "Did you need something?"

Sora shook his head. "No, just coming to say goodbye before I head off again."

"But you just got here!" Mulan said. "And you seemed exhausted. Shouldn't you get some rest?"

"There won't be any rest for me until I solve this problem," Sora replied firmly. "If I can't be the type of hero that deserves a story like the one you tell, then I…" Unable to finish his sentence, he hung his head.

Mulan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're a strong young man, Sora. I'm sure you'll find a way."

With a weak smile, Sora thanked the woman, and headed for the portal to the gummi ship. "I'll see you later, Mulan!" He called. "Tell Shang I said hi!"

The sound of the portal whirring drowned out Mulan's reply, but Sora had a good feeling he knew what it was. He waved even as the portal transported him to the cockpit of the gummi ship, and he sighed, looking down at the world far below him. When he had first gone there to look for Riku and the King (as well as dispose of the heartless plaguing the area), it had been in much worse condition overall. Now, it looked far more vibrant and beautiful than it had before.

Sora sat back, considering his options. If he was really going to solve this dilemma, he'd have to face the darkness in his heart. He couldn't see himself trying to harness the darkness's power like Riku had managed to, so he'd have to beat it down and get it to leave him alone…or at least something akin to that. He then remembered what that woman Fran had told him:

"_If you wish to end that suffering, you must do it on your own."_

The Viera had seemed rather stern about her statement, but somehow Sora sensed compassion deep in her heart. The problem with her advice was how he was going to pull off such a feat. He couldn't exactly yank the darkness out of his heart and combat it. Darkness and light were two sides of the same coin; you couldn't have one without the other unless you wanted something to become corrupt.

After a while of contemplation and sifting through his options, Sora made his decision on a world he had only ever visited one time. There was a large cavern there that had been the location of that world's keyhole, and Sora had found it entrancingly peaceful. Added to the fact that it hadn't been bothered by heartless _or_ nobodies since he first sealed it up, Sora knew it was the place to go. He entered in the coordinates and braced himself for the warp to fire off.

Even as the route began, Sora could hear the voice of the darkness whispering in his ears. He ignored it, clenching his teeth and gripping his armrests tightly as he narrowed his eyes. _This ends tonight. No more doubt, no more fear of my own self…and this time I'm ending it myself._


	7. Tranquility Beyond the Waterfall

Summary: AU; Spoilers; Violence. After reflecting on recent events, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Tranquility Beyond the Waterfall**

* * *

It had been at least a year since Sora had gone to the Deep Jungle. The world itself was an odd one; it had not been threatened by the heartless until a certain hunter had lost his temper with someone. Nearly all other worlds had some big nasty allied with Maleficent that called up the heartless, but not this place. Because of that, the jungle was very peaceful in comparison.

He landed in a small alcove near the treehouse, recognizable by its small space and hollow log. If he jumped down it, he'd be able to surf down the tree branches into the jungle below, but Sora decided against it. As fun as it was, he knew why he was here, and if something went wrong he didn't want to land anywhere where he could hurt someone.

After a lot of climbing, shimmying down long vines and swimming across the hippo's lagoon, Sora finally made it to the campsite. He passed quietly through, hoping not to bother Jane, and headed quietly to the bamboo thicket. He knew it wasn't the most peaceful place in the jungle, but he had to pass through it. When he did, he found two familiar faces there.

"It does remind me of Golmore…but no, I do not think it is here."

Sora blinked. "Fran? Balthier?"

The duo turned at his call, to which the gun-wielding gentlemen smirked. "Ah, Sora. What brings you here? Looking for something?"

When the keyblade master didn't answer, Fran gave him one of her calculating looks. "You are still troubled. Do you know what you must do?"

"How do you still know…?" Sora asked.

Balthier shrugged. "Fran's always been good at that."

Fran shot her partner a sharp look and muttered something about 'mist,' but otherwise said nothing. Sora rubbed his head sheepishly and decided to help break the ice. "Um…Yen Sid showed up after you guys left…he said to check the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah or something."

"Impressive," Balthier commented. "He knew what we were coming for before we even spoke to him."

"Did he say anything else?" Fran asked.

Sora nodded. "He said to watch out for traps and be polite when you enter."

Balthier nodded. "Valuable information. Thank you, Sora. I believe we'll have to check that place as well."

"What exactly are you looking for?" Sora asked. "Treasure or something?"

"Something along those lines," the man replied. "Come, Fran."

Fran, however, shook her head. "One moment, Balthier." She stepped toward Sora and looked downward at him, her gaze narrow and somehow intimidating. "You know that solving this problem of yours is something you alone must do, no one else. In order to do that, you must find a place of utmost peace. Such a place is always closer than you think."

"A place of utmost peace?" Sora echoed, tilting his head.

"Yes," Fran replied. "There, I can guarantee you will know what the next step is in ridding yourself of the darkness."

Before Sora could even thank the woman, she strode off. Balthier gave a short wave to Sora and followed her out. _Maybe she's always like that,_ Sora thought. _But if a place to find a way to fight the darkness in my heart is closer than I'd think…where would I find such a place?_

After a moment of contemplation, Sora felt an idea go off in his mind and he jogged off for the cliffs. Pleased to find that there was no one (and no _thing_) waiting for him, he climbed nimbly up to the ledge above and headed into the caverns behind the waterfall.

* * *

"He's not on the other side either," Valor reported. "I don't think we're ever going to find him."

Wisdom glared at the sea as though it were the cause of all their problems. "Well, we had better find him quickly. It's a lucky thing that the darkness didn't rise in Anti's absence. Who knows what atrocity could have befallen us."

Master winced. "I'd rather not think about that," he said. "I went to ask Final if he had seen him, but he's gone, too."

Valor sneered. "Why am I not surprised?" he grumbled.

"Enough of that," Wisdom scolded. "As much as I know you hate him, Valor, Final is as much a part of Sora as you and I are. I will agree that his methods are questionable, but now is not the time for grudges. We must find Anti before Sora's heart goes out of control again."

_But we can't do anything,_ Master felt like saying, and he knew it was right. _Final said that even he couldn't help. But if we can't help Sora, he's on his own. How is he going to get rid of this darkness…?_

He hated feeling helpless.

* * *

The Cavern of the Heart, as he had come to call it, was the place where Sora had sealed the keyhole to the jungle. If anything, he'd find peace here. For a while, he sat on the ground, staring upward through the opening at the very top of the cavern. He closed his eyes, hearing the waterfall's crashing lullaby echo into the room.

A few minutes went by before Sora sighed. "This isn't getting me anywhere," he grumbled. "Where's this place I have to go, Fran? You could have told me!"

_Still looking, huh?_

Sora blinked. Had that voice…just spoken to his _mind_? "Who's there?" he demanded, leaping to his feet.

_Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. Not like I'm capable, anyway._

"Not capable?" Sora echoed. "What's going on?"

_You want a place to fight against the darkness in your heart, right? Well, I know of a place where you can do it, but it'll be tricky getting there._

There was hesitation for a moment. Could this person, whoever he was, know where Sora had to go? But then again, could he be trustworthy? "Please, tell me where to go!"

_The same place where you've had those dreams, and you know where dreams come from._

"Where dreams come from?" Sora echoed.

_Look, I can't say anything else. Good luck, Sora._

Sora began to call out to the voice, but it had faded away again. Sighing, he stared at the ground in defeat. The voice had really left him, and he was left with yet another riddle. To make matters even more confusing, the keyblade chose then to appear in his hands. Sora stared at the weapon and quirked an eyebrow. "You know what's going on, don't you?" he said.

The keyblade pulsed briefly. Sora smiled. "So you _do_ know. Can you tell me where I'm supposed to go?"

This time, there was no response. Sighing, Sora held the weapon in front of him with both hands and stared at it. "You were right there with me the whole time…when I gave myself up to save Kairi, when I beat Xehanort's Heartless, and…well, every time, you were there. I've lost confidence in myself, you know that. I'm really not sure if some of the things I've done are right, or if they ever meant anything. There are so many things I've gone through that I probably shouldn't have, but I did anyway. You know something I don't about this mess. I know I have to do this on my own, and I want to end this so no one gets hurt, but I don't know where to start. You've been trying to speak to me this whole time, I know you were. What are you trying to tell me?"

Sora's answer came in an odd form. He felt the light of the keyblade spread from his heart to his limbs, but rather than comforting him, it seized control. Frightened, he tried to fight back, but instead found himself standing and walking to the center of the room. "What are you doing?!" he cried. "Let me go!"

But the keyblade did not. Once Sora was standing upright, the keyblade jerked him back around to face the tree trunk where the keyhole had been, and tore itself out of his hand. The hold on Sora's body released, and he watched the keyblade hover in the air in horror. "You're not leaving again, are you?" he asked.

No answer came. Sora mentally searched his heart, finding that the keyblade still remained with him, but he was not relieved; only confused. An ethereal wind rose around him, blowing a few stray leaves about and kicking up dust. A light emanated from the Oathkeeper, growing brighter and brighter until finally Sora could no longer look. But rather than shielding his eyes, Sora had clutched his chest as his heart jerked violently. He fell to his knees, using one hand to support himself and the other hand to keep his heart steady, though it wasn't working. The keyblade, however, still had a hold on him, and forced him back upright. Sora could only cry out as the keyblade pointed its tip at him, then rushed forward, stabbing him in the chest. The weapon then vanished, leaving behind a resounding _click_ of something becoming unlocked.

A burst of light accompanied the keyblade returning to his heart, and Sora fell to his hands again, gasping for breath. Whatever had just happened had taken much out of him. His breath echoed on the stone walls as he managed to gather himself again, but there was an odd echoing in the cave…one much akin to a shimmering light whenever the keyblade was summoned. He hadn't the time to look up and find its source, as his vision went white and he fell to the ground with a soft _thud_.

* * *

In case you're wondering, no, Sora's NOT dead.


	8. Destati

(stabs writer's block in the spleen) I WIN! THE STORY CONTINUES!

Summary: AU; Spoilers; Violence. After reflecting on recent events, Sora's heart gives rise to more than just self-doubt. Now he must conquer is most powerful nemesis of all, but when no one can help him, where can he turn?

Setting: Before final battle, so this will be somewhat AU.

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Destati**

* * *

There was a strong sensation of his body feeling heavy. Sora didn't know what to make of it, but was unable to move any part of himself. This place he was now in…he couldn't see it yet, but it felt so familiar. One by one, his senses returned. He could feel a flat, hard, cold ground beneath him. The air was still. Almost nothing could be heard aside from his own breath, which didn't echo off of anything. Finally, he felt a prickling in his eyes, and cracked them open.

He was on a stained glass platform again, this one depicting himself and his friends.

"This is the place from my dream two years ago," he realized. "That means…this is the place where I'm supposed to fight that darkness?"

_Foolish boy, calling upon the keyblade for help…_

Sora gasped in surprise, spinning around to see a formless mass of black rising from the platform. He backed away, reaching out to his side and expecting the keyblade to come. It didn't. "Wha-"

_So you finally found the place to combat me. I'm afraid it won't do you any good. Now that your consciousness has been dragged in here, I can finish your light so much easier…_

"Forget it," Sora grumbled. "The one that's going to be finished off is _you_." Inwardly, however, he was worried. Why wasn't the keyblade coming to him?

_Have it your way then._

The darkness lashed out, slamming into Sora's stomach and sending him tumbling backward. He stopped rolling right at the edge of the platform. He dared himself to look down, and he didn't quite like what he saw. If he fell, there was no telling how long it would take him to land…assuming there was ground below somewhere. He looked back up, feeling helpless without something to defend himself as the darkness approached him again. There was a loud hissing as it lunged, and Sora shielded himself instinctively.

A high-pitched noise that sounded like a mix between a growl and a purring arose, and a flurry of footsteps arose as a dark figure stood in front of Sora, arms spread wide in a strange effort to protect him. The darkness hissed at him.

_Ah, the representative of darkness. It is unlike you to be seen on your own. I believe you are in my way._

But the figure stood his ground, unmoving. Sora took a closer look at the darkened figure and nearly cried out in surprise: he looked exactly like what Sora had seen in the darkened mirror in Yen Sid's tower. Obviously, he was some form of heartless, or at least something similar. Why was he protecting him?

_Very well, then. Have your fun with him, but I'll be back for you, mark my words…_

The darkness ebbed away and completely vanished, leaving the shade and Sora completely alone. After a few seconds, the said shade turned around and offered Sora his hand. Sora blinked. "You're…helping me?" he asked.

The shadow of himself nodded, pushing his hand closer to Sora. Nervously, Sora took his hand and stood upright, the heaviness gone. The shade went back to a squatting position – one quite similar to Tarzan's normal upright posture – and waved him forward, pointing to a door on the other side of the platform. Sora nodded. "I have to go in there, right?" he asked. "I'll follow you."

Once more, the shadow nodded. _Maybe he's not capable of speech,_ Sora thought. As they neared it, the door opened, flooding Sora's vision with light. The shadow waved Sora in eagerly, bounding in. Sora hesitated only momentarily, allowing the déjà vu to wear off before stepping in.

What awaited him on the other side was an enormous surprise. Blue, partly-cloudy skies. There were a few seagulls flying about. A sandy beach. Palm trees. And then there was…

_No. Way._ Sora thought as he looked around. How could he be on Destiny Islands?

The shadow tugged at Sora's sleeve again and pointed forward. He was standing on the docks to Riku's island, where the crooked paopu tree was. He remembered that place quite fondly. It was where he and Riku had sparred, endlessly counting the score against each other (Riku was always winning, much to Sora's dismay). But something wasn't right this time. There were three people there, one was conversing heatedly with someone sitting on the tree while the other was leaning against the tree, hands cupped behind his head.

And they all looked _just like him_.

"What's going on?" Sora mumbled, staring with eyes wide open. The shadow must have noticed this, because he pulled Sora's arm this time and began trudging forward. Sora followed warily, trying to stay quiet as he neared them. _Maybe I'm just seeing things or something…I can't be on my island, and there can't be more than one me! What's going on?_

"…not our fault he went missing!" The red-clothed Sora grumbled at the blue-clothed Sora, whom was sitting on the tree with his fingers laced together and his chin resting on them. "And we can't find him anywhere; what do _you_ suggest we do?"

"We have already checked all places possible on this side," the blue-clothed Sora replied. Sora blinked; it was odd hearing his own voice speak in an accent. "I doubt Anti will have wandered too far. He isn't one to go out on his own."

_Who are they talking about?_ Sora wondered.

The yellow-clothed Sora sighed, staring at the ground before turning toward the dock. When he made eye contact with Sora, he jumped slightly, glancing from him to Anti and back again in surprise. Eyes wide, he turned back to the other two Sora-like beings. "Um, guys?"

"I'm _not_ going to go ask Final, you hear me? Last time I asked him for help, he kicked my butt to the Other Side and back."

"Well, if you weren't so _impatient_…"

"Guys?" the yellow Sora asked again.

"He still shouldn't have-"

"I can't believe that you would-"

At this point, the yellow-dressed Sora had had enough of their arguing. Rolling his eyes, he screamed out something indiscernible and a tiny bolt of thunder crashed from the sky right between the two arguing…people. They jumped a bit, the red one moreso, and the blue one quirked an eyebrow at him. "Not often you use magic to get our attention," he commented.

"It's not often I use magic at _all_," Yellow replied before jabbing his thumb behind him. "But in case you haven't noticed, we have company."

Red and Blue blinked, exchanging glances before looking at Sora and the little shadow. There was a short moment of silence before Sora decided to speak. "Um…could someone tell me what's going on?"

"Anti, what do you think you're _doing_?!" Red replied, glaring at the little shadow. "You're not supposed to bring Sora here!"

"Calm down, Valor," Blue said calmly. "He means no harm in this. I am sure you already know that Anti is far more intelligent than you prefer to let on."

"He is," Yellow added, causing Valor to scoff and look away. Sora winced as Yellow turned back to him. "You're Sora, aren't you?"

"I sure hope so," Sora replied. "I feel like I'm looking in a mirror…_three_ mirrors…"

Yellow grinned. "Well, this wasn't what we had in mind, but it'll do. I'm Master. The red one's Valor, and the blue one's Wisdom. That shadow is Anti. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

Sora nodded. "I know…when I woke up, he defended me from the darkness. Who is he, really?"

Master crossed his arms and shook his head. "Wisdom, you're better at this than I am. You explain."

"Anti is the representative of the darkness in your heart," Wisdom began. "Lately, he has been troubled, and the darkness has grown beyond his control. We've had to restrain him several times whenever such happened."

Sora looked at the ground guiltily before casting a glance at Anti, whom sat rather innocently at his feet like a puppy. To cause someone so much trouble was something he had always dreaded, and here he was, the victim of his outburst acting as though nothing was wrong. It almost hurt more than if Anti was angry with him. Sora looked up at the sky. "Where is this place, anyway?"

"You tell us," Valor replied. "After all, you should know better than anyone."

"It's the world inside your heart," Wisdom explained.

"My…" Sora did a double take. "My _heart_?"

The blue-clad Sora nodded. "Yes."

"But how?" Sora asked. "It looks just like-"

"Like your islands," Master finished for him. "We know. Technically we _are_ you, after all."

Sora sighed. "But how'd I get here? All I remember is a weird voice, and then the keyblade…" His voice trailed off. The keyblade had forced him upright, tore itself from him, and then _stabbed_ him. Was he dead? No…that couldn't be right. He had heard that clicking sound, of something being unlocked, then he had passed out…maybe he was dreaming?

Of course. The place where dreams come from. This was where he needed to be, but…

"If you have any questions," Master began, "Why not go see Final?"

"Final?" Sora echoed.

"Final?!" Valor exclaimed.

"Final…?" Wisdom pondered.

Anti nodded eagerly, agreeing with Master.

"Are you _nuts_, Master?!" Valor practically screamed. "Last time any of us tried to talk to Final-"

"He beat you to a pulp," Wisdom interrupted. "Master's the only one that really managed to actually talk to him about the matter at hand, and that's probably because he didn't resort to _brute force_."

Feeling another argument coming on, Sora decided to speak up. "Where do I find this Final person?"

There was a bit of silence while the others considered Sora's question before Wisdom finally spoke. "He is on the other side of the island," he said quietly.

Valor laughed. "Good luck getting him to help you, though. I don't care how tough he is; he's about as helpful as a coconut."

"Meaning the only use you have for him is to use him for your so-called keyblade practice?" Wisdom commented in deadpan.

Master winced and turned to Sora. "You'd better get going. I've got to take care of these two before their argument gets out of control again."

Sora nodded understandingly. "Right. Anti, do you…um…"

The little black version of Sora was already moving toward the door to the other side of the island. Shrugging, Sora followed him, hopping off the dock and pushing through the door.

* * *

Final stared at the mirror pool he had created below him. Currently, Sora was within the Cavern of Hearts in the Deep Jungle, floating gently in the air. He had seen it a few times before. Waving away the image, Final furrowed his eyebrows in thought. If Anti had managed to bring Sora here, he'd probably be coming to see him.

But Final couldn't help. All he could do was steer Sora in the right direction. After all, the darkness couldn't defeat itself, and if Sora was going to get it back under control, he couldn't have a piece of his heart do it for him. Sora had to do it himself.

"No harm done in a little help though," Final muttered, floating upright. "I guess I'd better stretch my legs before he gets here." With that, he soared off.


	9. The Heart of the Problem

...does anyone even _read _this thing?

**Seeking Redemption**

**By FlikFreak**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Heart of the Problem  
**

* * *

Balthier quirked an eyebrow. "This certainly seems like an odd way to solve a problem."

Indeed, sleeping was hardly what either of them had in mind, but Fran knew better. Sora lay completely flat on the ground, his eyes closed peacefully and his breathing slow and deep. Whatever had happened had forced him into a deep slumber. Unlike Balthier, however, Fran was entirely calm. "He may seem peaceful on the outside, but within he is currently in a long search."

"A search for what?" Balthier asked.

"Peace, ultimately. Best if we let him be for now."

* * *

No one had really wanted to go with Sora to see Final, but Anti stuck with him and Master decided to take the liberty of accompaniment after calming the others. It was strange, seeing a heartless-esque version of himself acting so innocent and shy, but then again it was also strange to see himself acting more brash than usual when it came to Valor's behavior. Wisdom was the oddest one, though; his speech pattern reminded Sora of an English professor, and he could have sworn that the blue-clad representation of himself had exhibited an accent not unlike Balthier's.

"I won't make any guarantees about Final helping you," Master said quietly. "We've all gone to him and he's turned us all down."

"Why?" Sora asked. "Isn't he the most powerful out of all of you?"

Master bit his lip. "He's more powerful than all of us put together, but he just doesn't _do_ anything. The only time he really did something was when he shoved the darkness away once, and he told me he wasn't helping at all when he did that. He actually claimed that he was _incapable_ of helping."

Anti purred in agreement.

"Well, here we are." Master pushed open the wooden doorway. "With any luck, he'll listen to us this time."

Sora held his breath as they entered, fully expecting this Final person to be someone highly intimidating. Master ignored his anxiety and leapt across the boards on the path, Anti following closely. Sora had a bit of trouble ("Even my _heart_ has that stupid loose board? Geez!"), but he managed to stay close. They stopped when they reached a spot familiar to him: the place where he, Kairi and Riku had built the raft together. Master took a deep breath and cupped his mouth. "Final! Are you here?"

There was no answer. Master's voice (which was also Sora's voice, the brunette remembered with an awkward realization) echoed off the stone walls. Anti sat dog-style next to Sora, his head tilted and eyes wide with curiosity. Sora scratched his head. "Are you sure he's-"

"_Wooooohoooooo!_"

Master nodded. "Yep. He's here, all right."

Sora was about to question the yellow-clad representation when something shot out of the ocean like a bullet. An indiscernible silver object tore through the air, whooping in joy and heading straight for them, screeching to a halt just over the small pool of water they stood by. It was then that Sora got a better look at whatever nearly dive-bombed them. It was yet another version of himself, but this one was not only hovering in the air, but wore a silver set of clothing that pulsated with radiance. Two little orbs of light orbited him in a criss-cross fashion. Overall, the sight was amazing to behold, but Sora was entirely thrown off by the boy's casual posture. "Someone call me?"

"_You're_ Final?" Sora said without thinking.

Master winced and pulled on Sora's ear. "Show some respect, Sora!"

"Er, sorry…is he your leader or something?"

Final laughed, shaking his head. "Me? Leader? Nah. I'd make a terrible leader. Master is the one running things."

Sora blinked, glancing at the version of himself wearing yellow. Master sighed and shook his head. "I'm only the leader because Valor taunts me about my name all the time, but that's not what we're here to talk about."

"Of course it's not," Final replied, waving it off and looking at the little black Sora. "Nice job, Anti. I knew you could pull it off."

"Wait a minute!" Master cried. "You'll listen to Anti, but not us? What's the deal with that?"

Final rolled his eyes and laid back in midair. "Well, unlike the rest of you, Anti knew that Sora's on his own for this one. He's content just giving a small push rather than holding his hand like a three year old."

"What do you mean I'm on my own?" Sora asked, half-insulted about being referred to as a child. "You can't help me?"

"Nope," Final replied. "Can't do a thing."

"You said the same thing to every single one of us," Master groaned. "Now when Sora _himself_ finally shows up, you won't even listen to him? Have you forgotten who you are?"

Final laughed. "No. I haven't forgotten a thing. We're representations of Sora's heart. That's it: representations. Stand-ins. Nothing more. If Sora's going to patch up his heart, he's on his own."

There was a pause and Sora felt his shoulders drooping. He looked at Final, whom only sat quietly with a tilted head. Final grinned. "However, it doesn't mean we can't give you a push in the right direction."

Master's jaw dropped. "What…?"

Ignoring the yellow-clad Sora, Final lowered himself closer to the ground. "When Anti ran off on you, Master. He came to ask me for help himself. Kinda funny, how a representative of the darkness is afraid of 'what he's in charge of,' so to speak. Unlike the rest of you, he knew that we couldn't force anything on Sora, so he just asked if we could do anything to help him. That's where he was."

"I should have figured as much," Master grumbled. "Anti, you had me worried sick."

Anti only tilted his head.

"So," Final continued, "If you want to get rid of the darkness in your heart, Sora, you'll have to recognize what it is first."

"Easier said than done," Sora replied. "I know there's darkness in every heart, and getting rid of it is impossible because it's half of everything."

Final nodded. "That's right. The problem is in _which_ darkness has been bothering you. Try remembering when this whole mess began."

Sora sat down on the sand, staring at the sky…whatever the sky was. "Well…I guess it was in Radiant Garden…when I tried using drive, I lost control of myself."

"Good start," Final replied. "But what do you think caused that loss of control?"

"The darkness, right?"

"Yep."

Sora sighed. Back to square one. "Well, I didn't exactly have a great day then. I just kinda felt down."

Final quirked an eyebrow and floated right in front of Sora's eye level, belly-down and head 'propped up' on his elbows. "Really? Tell me about it."

"Well," Sora began, "I started to think about how much has happened over the past two years…if Ansem hadn't done those experiments, none of that would have ever happened. The heartless, nobodies, Organization XIII…sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing is entirely right, or why I was chosen for this in the first place. I guess I just started to doubt myself."

"And there you have it," Final stated proudly, sitting up. "You've been losing control because you've been doubting yourself too much."

Sora blinked. "Really…?"

"That's it?" Master echoed. "I thought it was something else…"

Final shook his head. "It's okay to doubt yourself from time to time. It happens. It's _human_. But what most people don't realize is that doubt is the only thing that'll give you confidence. It's like how fear gives you bravery and how sadness gives you happiness. You can't have one without the other, because if you do then neither can exist."

Furrowing his eyebrows in thought, Sora gave a stray glance to Anti, whom was still sitting as quietly and obediently as ever. "So, to get rid of that darkness, I just need to stop doubting myself?"

"'fraid not," Final replied, crossing his arms and floating in a posture that strongly reminded him of Peter Pan. "At this point, if you want to get it under control you'll have to fight it."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Sora asked, standing.

"Hey, _you're_ the boss, Sora. You can do just about anything as long as you're in here."

The statement might have inspired confidence, but Sora still glanced worriedly to the other two with him. Master looked concerned, and Anti was as unreadable as ever, but Sora knew he was curious. After a few moments, Sora nodded. "I think I know what I need to do…but I'm going to talk to the others first."

"You're going to talk to Valor and Wisdom?" Master asked.

Sora nodded. "Yeah."

Final chuckled. "They hardly get along with each other. What're you planning on saying to them?"

"I'm working on that," Sora replied, rubbing his head, "But they'll listen to me. I know they will."

Master smiled. "You seem pretty confident about that."

"He gets it from you," Final muttered humorously. "At any rate, I'm coming along."

Sora only nodded in agreement, but Master seemed as though the world was about to end…or a miracle had just taken place. It was hard to discern which. "Y…you're coming? _Why_?"

Final only grinned. "Can't let you have _all_ the fun, can I?"


End file.
